High-risk 'killfie' trend goes viral

“I would like to say that it is important for people to not be afraid of doing something new.” (Denis Krasnov/mediadrumworld/WENN)

WASHINGTON —

A new trend is taking the internet by storm as teens all around the world try to get the ultimate selfie and often put their lives at risk.

A “killfie” is a selfie you take at the scene of a dangerous place. In order to have a successful killfie, you must snap your selfie at a location where you are at risk of death such as on top of a building or on a train track with an oncoming train heading your way.

Most recently, a group of young daredevils in Hong Kong scaled an antenna on top of a skyscraper overlooking the city. Their photos were taken by a 20-year-old photographer who gathered rooftoppers from Australia, China and Russia to participate in his project.

The trend began to gain traction in February when pictures emerged of Russian model Victoria Odintcova hanging from the Cayan Tower in Dubai. Police in Dubai condemned the model’s actions telling The Sun newspaper, “The actions of the Russian woman put her life at risk."

Believe it or not, the trend has been parodied with some making jokes about it.

But these “killfies” are no laughing matter. In some cases, risking personal safety can lead to death all in a quest to get the perfect image to share on social media.

In Spain, 32-year-old David Lopez was gored during the annual Running of the Bulls festival, according to the Mirror. The report claims the man turned his back to the animals and was unable to to fully see the oncoming bull that struck him, he later died at the hospital from his injuries.

Time magazine also reported on two Russian soldiers that posed with a live grenade. When the image was captured the grenade unexpectedly detonated, killing them both.

Earlier this month, a student in India died after he fell off of a moving train while taking a selfie. Two of his friends went to go look for him and were also killed by an oncoming train while searching for him on the tracks, according to NDTV.